There are a couple of real winners as far as cocktails and smoothies coming out of my yard as of late. I made “lavender lemon balm” margaritas for a Daily Acts meeting recently (people biked to the meeting) and they were a hit. I just sprinkled lavender from my yard right into the glass along with some lemon balm leaves and the typical margarita mix, agave, lime juice, and tequila. I made them again a few days later with a tea I had made by steeping some lavender and lemon balm in hot water and then putting it in the fridge for a few hours before combining it with that same blend. The tea is great as an herbal iced tea (no caffeine) on its own too. Add a stem of calendula (an edible flower) for a beautiful and tasty garnish (as seen to the right).

The second non-alcoholic drink I discovered recently is a smoothie of greens. Adding a few chard and beet greens (1-2 medium-sized leaves) to your regular fruit smoothly is a great way to get your leafy greens and it doesn’t alter the taste much. I recommend using seasonal fruits when possible. There are a lot of great resources out there for green smoothie recipes.